


Aegis

by TheFifthCharmedOne



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Comfortably Bisexual Dean Winchester, Demisexual Castiel (Supernatural), Demisexuality, Friends to Lovers, From a prompt, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 01:52:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14321919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFifthCharmedOne/pseuds/TheFifthCharmedOne
Summary: Castiel Novak was three things: a Booktuber, a nerd, and quite possibly the love of Dean Winchester’s life.





	Aegis

**Author's Note:**

> My response to the April prompt on the Destiel Amino!

_When I confronted him, he denied that he’d ever said it._

Dean’s father had always told him that you couldn’t take back a shot bullet or a spoken word. So how had Cas done it so easily?

“Hey guys! Cas here and it’s time for my April book haul!”

Dean tried not to be obvious as he watched Castiel talk to the tripod, animatedly discussing the books he’d bought at their most recent trip to Barnes and Noble. His whole face was glowing and his eyes were bright – and not just because of the ring light he’d bought with six months’ paycheck from Gabriel’s coffee joint. Cas got as excited about books as Dean did about cars.

It was actually kind of adorable.

“Hello, Dean.”

Dean jumped, jostling his laptop in the process. The paper he was supposed to be writing, hadn’t, surprise surprise, just appeared before him like he’d hoped.

“Wow, you’re done filming already?” Dean tried to be casual, but the cock of Cas’s head indicated it wasn’t working.

“I did not buy as many books this time,” replied Cas, turning back to his equipment to start putting it away. “Gabriel’s been cutting my hours because the shop hasn’t been doing as well.”

“Prick.” Dean grunted.

“Prick or not, he’s my brother, and I’m grateful that he even gave me this job. It’s just been making it difficult to spend money is all.”

Dean understood, better than Cas would ever know.

* * *

Castiel Novak was in deep trouble.

Not the life-threatening kind, of course, but the emotional kind. The kind that left him uncomfortably hard in his jeans whenever he felt Dean’s eyes on him. The kind that made him change his masturbation schedule so there was no chance of Dean coming home and hearing just how loud Cas became when lost in his fantasies. The kind that would not end well for anyone involved. The kind that made him say “I love you” and then pretend it hadn’t happened.

Truthfully, as ashamed as he was to admit it, he was scared. Scared of the depth of his feelings, of the burning lust inside him, and most of all, scared of losing Dean.

They had been friends for years, ever since Dean had moved in next door to Cas when they were both eight years old. They’d been through everything together; elementary school bullies, middle school drama, high school relationships gone horribly awry…and now they were in college. Living together as roommates and figuring out just what they were meant to do with their lives.

Cas had long ago determined himself to be at the very least bisexual, as he had always been able to appreciate both genders, but since coming to college, he’d begun to question that again. He did not experience the same craving for sex that his fellow students did, except, of course, when it came to Dean. 

The term ‘demisexual’ seemed apt, as he and Dean obviously had a strong emotional connection, and his sexual desires had not bloomed until he and Dean had begun living together.

“I’m starved. You wanna go get dinner? We can go pick Sammy up on the way, like old times.”

Dean’s younger brother Sam was a bookworm like Cas but had his brother’s acerbic wit and a knack for what Dean called “bitchfaces”. He was still in high school, as he and Dean were four years apart, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at him. He’d recently hit a growth spurt and was creeping ever closer to being taller than Dean, something the former detested quite passionately.  

“That sounds nice, Dean.”

* * *

“Get in, bitch.” Dean greets Sam as they roll up to the Winchester family home. Deciding to attend the University of Kansas meant they only lived twenty minutes from their families, but still paid the extra money to be in the dorms, just for the independence it offered. 

“Jerk. Hi, Cas!” Sam replies, climbing into the backseat.

“Hello, Sam. Did you get taller since I saw you last?” Cas grinned, knowing how Dean would react. The glare that Dean sent his way made his stomach twist, as there was something darker in that gaze, something that was full of…promise.

Cas shook himself – he had to stop imagining things to make up for his longing. 

“You better not have, you beanpole.” said Dean as he pulled the car into drive.

“Not my fault you’re short.” Sam said to Dean. The elder Winchester opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off by his overexcited little brother. “But you’ll never guess what came in the mail!”

“What, your acceptance to Hogwarts?” joked Dean. 

“Close. I got a full ride into Stanford!”

The Impala jerked to a stop at the stoplight they arrived at, and Cas noted that Dean’s knuckles had whitened on the steering wheel. 

“That’s…great, Sammy. Congrats.” Dean told him through gritted teeth. Sam didn’t seem to notice the change in his brother’s demeanor, so he continued chattering to Cas about the other schools he’d applied too. Cas half-listened, watching Dean with concern while replying to Sam’s enthusiasm in all the right places.

* * *

They arrived at the Roadhouse, which was owned by Sam and Dean’s godmother, Ellen, and her husband Bobby. 

“Hey boys!” Ellen Harvelle-Singer greeted warmly, pulling all three of them into a hug. “This is a pleasant surprise!" 

“Yeah, we figured we wanted to come back to the old stompin’ grounds, ya know?”

“I’m frankly surprised you hadn’t come along sooner, Dean, seein’ how much you love my burgers.”

“Ah well, it wouldn’t be the same without Cas and Sam.”

A warm flush trickled up Cas’s neck to bloom on his face, but before he could make an excuse for it the conversation had shifted. 

“Table for three, then?” asked Ellen. 

“The usual spot.” Sam answered, and Ellen nodded, ruffling his hair. “Hey!” he complained. “I’m not a baby.”

“You’ll always be a baby to me, Sam.” Ellen said, her expression going somber for a moment. She was clearly reflecting on the fact that, during John’s drunken rampages, Mary had sent the boys to stay with Bobby and Ellen so that she could handle him alone.

They sit in their normal seats, and if Cas and Dean’s knees knock together more than once, well, he can’t be blamed for the goosebumps that appear all across his skin, can he?

* * *

All it takes is one request from a viewer to send everything unraveling.

_Hey Cas, love your videos! Quick question – could you make a Q &A vid? I feel like we don’t know anything about you! Maybe have your roommate in it?_

It wasn’t as though he’d never gotten Q&A requests; it was the fact that they were requesting _Dean_ to be there. Somehow, he’d let it slip along the way that he lived with his best friend, and his viewers were dying to meet him.

_Come on, just one video with your roommate! It would be so cool!_

_Pleaseeeeee Cas! I’ll owe you my firstborn child!!_

The comments and tweets just would not stop coming. Never mind the direct messages and private chatrooms. 

“Dean, can I ask you something?" 

The other boy glanced up from his engineering textbook – a few days had passed since their outing to the Roadhouse, and Cas’s infatuation had only seemed to grow – and Cas noted that Dean had a pen cap in his mouth. What was it with that boy and his phallic obsession? It nearly drove Cas to insanity.

“You already did, but shoot.” Dean stood up and stretched, the bones of his spine popping as they realigned with his movement. Cas forced himself not to stare at the tan skin of his stomach that revealed itself when Dean raised his arms. _I have to get control of myself._ “Cas?”

Dean was staring at him expectantly, and Cas’s mouth went dry as he realized the gravity of what he was about to ask.

There were only a few things that Dean Winchester feared: losing Sam, flying, and, to Cas’s chagrin, public speaking. Granted, there wouldn’t be a crowd per se, but Cas’s meager 10,000 subscribers would be enough for Dean to say no, most likely.

“Would you…like to do a video with me?” There, rip the band-aid off. Nice and clean. “You know, for my YouTube channel?”

“I know what you meant, I didn’t think you were askin’ me to make a sex tape,” teased Dean, and Cas coughed, shifting his legs to cover the halfie he was now sporting. “Uh, sure. I guess.”

“Really? I know you’re afraid of public speaking and I don’t wish to make you uncomfortable-”

“Cas, it’s fine. I’ll just imagine everyone in their underwear.” His best friend grinned dorkily. “How much of your audience is female, anyway?”

“Probably 70%.” replied Cas, and then realized what Dean was implying. “Oh my God, Dean—you are such a sleaze.” Cas threw a pillow toward Dean, but the other boy dodged easily and laughed.

“You love me!” Dean sang, and Cas rolled his eyes to his face, but the swooping in his chest couldn’t be denied.

* * *

Needless to say, the Q&A was a smash hit. Cas’s subscriber count nearly doubled when people saw Dean in the thumbnail, and comments came pouring in. Some homophobic comments were scattered throughout, but they were either drowned or shut down by the waves of support.

_OMG they are so cute!!! I totally ship it!!!_

_What would the ship name be???_

_S.S. Destiel!_

_I will go down with this ship!!!_

_OMG these two need to be protected at all costs! Dean + Cas forever!!!_

“Protected…” Cas murmured, clicking into a new tab. Of course the word of the day was aegis, which had different definitions but boiled down to protection or control.

The door to their dorm room opened and Dean came in, tossing his backpack onto his bed and falling back into his chair with a relieved groan. “Long day?” asked Cas, returning to the Q&A video.

“Crowley is such a little bitch,” answered Dean.

“Did he take off points for punctuation again?”

“No! He took off points for using the American spelling of words rather than the British version! It’s so stupid! He’s not even British!”

“That seems extremely petty for a professor,” Cas commented, scrolling through the endlessly refreshing comment section.

“Crowley is the definition of petty.” Dean was quiet for a moment, heard him get up, and suddenly the other boy was sitting behind him on his bed, reading over his shoulder. “Whatcha doing?”

Cas could scarcely breathe – Dean was so _close_ and it was so sudden – he hadn’t had a chance to prepare himself— “What’s a de-sti-el?”

_Oh, God._

“Nothing! It’s nothing!” Cas closed his laptop so fast he feared he would crack the screen.

“Aw come on, it’s definitely something. It’s got you all squirrely.” Dean pressed his chin into the fleshy part of Cas’s shoulder. Cas cleared his throat, trying desperately not to focus on the fact that Dean’s perfectly pink lips were mere centimeters from his ear.

“Dean-” Cas’s voice broke, and he clenched his fists in his sheets. God, how many times had he pictured this exact same scenario? His heart was beating like a jackhammer, so fast and hard that it could crack cement.

* * *

Dean had no idea what he was doing.

Well, okay. That wasn’t entirely true – he knew he was on his way to seducing Cas – his best friend – but what he didn’t know was how Cas would take it. Would he let him down gently? Of course he would, Cas would never be cruel and reject him outright…

They were silent, and Dean’s fingers itched to touch, to know if Cas’s hair was as soft as he’d always thought. He craved Cas with an intensity so strong is frightened him sometimes.

“Dean…I…I have to tell you something.” Cas turned around so that they were facing each other, but Cas kept his head down. “I’m…demisexual.”

Well, that wasn’t what Dean expected to hear.

“Okay…?” Dean asked, unsure how to respond sensitively. Sam had always been better at that than he had. “What’s that mean?”

“It means that I am somewhere between sexual and asexual. I do not feel…sexually attracted to someone until I’ve formed an emotional connection with them.”

Something like relief pooled in Dean’s chest – that meant that he didn’t have to worry about Cas having any random hookups (not that he had) – but it also meant…wait.

“Cas, what exactly are you trying to tell me here?”

Cas made a frustrated noise, but somehow Dean could tell that it was more directed at himself than at Dean.

“Who, exactly, beyond my family, have I formed an emotional connection with?” asked Cas.

Dean thought about it.

“Me, obviously…Sam, Jo…I mean, you don’t have a lot of friends…”

Cas seemed to come to his senses, or something, because he scrambled off the bed and started babbling something about going to the library; but before he could go anywhere, Dean grabbed his hand and held on. “Cas."

“What?”

Dean ran the pad of his thumb over the inside of Cas’s wrist, and the other boy… _whimpered._

“ _Oh_. That’s what you were trying to tell me.”

Cas looked at him then, his eyes forlorn but also…hopeful? “C’mere.”

Dean only has to pull a little bit on Cas’s arm, and his best friend is falling into his arms, like the angel he was named for.

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> And there you go! If you guys want, I’ll add a second chapter with smut, but as of right now this is complete as is. 
> 
> Prompt:   
> Finish the sentence!
> 
> The story has to end with “And this is the room where it happened.”   
> The story has to start with the line “When I confronted him, he denied that he’d ever said it.”  
> Begin a letter with “I am telling you this story because you are the only person who will not judge me…” 
> 
> And use a ‘word of the day’ from Merriam Webster’s website: the word of the day I chose was aegis from April 13, hence the title and the mention in the story. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think!
> 
> -Charmy


End file.
